The Second Coming of Jesus (part 2)

In last Sunday’s message we began to think about our “blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13

In this message we will continue to think about this second coming of Christ.

When he “appears a second time” Heb. 9:28 it won’t be like his first coming. At his first coming not many knew about it. Only a few shepherds knew about it, and a few close relatives, until wise men from the East told King Herod. It was virtually a hidden visit. But not so his second coming -

“For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man."

Matthew 24:27

And ‘then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30. And “Behold he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him……" Rev. 1:7. In other words, there will be universal awareness.

The first time, he came as a helpless baby, but not so his second coming, for then he will come with “power and great glory”.

Indeed the Lord Jesus will be “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire…." 2 Thess. 1:7

In last week’s message we began thinking about why Jesus will return. In this message I’d like to continue to think about what will happen when he comes by particularly focusing on a parable he spoke.

We find it in Mathew l3:24-30, which I will quote later.

When I was in theological college I got a job weeding the rose garden of the Archbishop of Adelaide. It was chock-a-block full of weeds, so I got to work. I returned a fortnight later to do some more work, only to discover to my surprise, that the rose garden was sprouting weeds all over again! Now I’m not suggesting that the archbishop got up in the night and scattered weed seeds just to spite me!

But that’s what the devil is doing in the world, according to Jesus. So let’s hear his parable (Matthew l3: 24-30)

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed seeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the house-holder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this’. The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ “

Jesus privately interpreted or explained this parable to his disciples, so let’s go straight to his interpretation in Matthew l3:37-43.

“He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom.”

Matt. l3:37,38.

So why then is evil so persistent in a world that is supposed to be the kingdom of God? Jesus goes on - “the weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil”. Matt. l3:39

Yes, the world does belong properly to God its Creator and King, and Jesus came to restore that rule of God. But there is a usurper prince of this world who seeks to claim people’s allegiance. Jesus called him “the ruler of this world” John 12:31 and Paul “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers….” 2 Cor 4:4, and “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." Eph 2:2

Jesus calls this one “the devil” Matt l3:39. The devil’s people are rebels against God’s rightful Kingly rule.

So what’s going to be done about this?

“Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of man (Jesus) will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Matt l3:40-43

So the ultimate destiny of rebels and anarchists of God’s rule, is to be separated from the good citizens of God’s kingdom, and punished.

Perhaps we could call this ‘the great divide’.

But when will this happen? Jesus says “at the close of the age”,

and not before.

The servants said to the owner of the field, “Do you want us to go and gather the weeds?" Matt l3:28 “No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest…." Matt l3:29,30

There have been the occasional times when I have weeded the garden, only to be told afterwards by Cheryl that I have also pulled up some of the young plants she had recently planted!

It would have been better if I had left the weeding to her!

And it’s better for us to leave the separation of sinners from saints to Jesus himself to sort out!

Let’s notice in this parable four things Jesus says about those who belong to the kingdom of God.

They are the “good seed” sown by the Sower.

“He who sows the good seed is the Son of man….the good seed means the sons of the kingdom”. Matt l3:37,38

The sons of the kingdom are those who belong to Jesus, who give their allegiance to him. He sows them in the world.

2They have God as “their Father."

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father”. Matt l3:43. Membership of the kingdom means adoption into the very family of God.

3They are called “righteous”.

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun…." Matt l3:43. They are by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, right in their relationship to God and righteous in behaviour among their fellows.

4They will one day “shine like the sun”. Matt l3:43

The glory of the Lord will be reflected in and from them.

And so, the Lord Jesus will finally separate the evil from the righteous.

“Now is the day of salvation”. 2 Corinthians 6:2. The Lord does “not wish that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. There is a reason why God is delaying the coming of the Lord - He wants more people in his family, he wants more people to repent and come to him. If he seems slow it is his mercy.

Peter tells us this: “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is for-bearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3: 8-9

Time is different to God. Jesus died around 2,000 years ago to us; but to God it is like a couple of days - “a thousand years as one day” 2 Peter 3:8. So to God it doesn’t seem a long time. Perspectives on time can differ. ‘one minute sitting on a hot stove seems longer than one hour talking to a pretty girl’ (Einstein). S.A. time differs from say W.A. time, so when applying earth’s chronology to heaven’s, there’s bound to be a gap! ‘Your birthday is coming soon’ says the parent to the small child who thinks that it is taking for ever!

“the day of the Lord” 2 Peter 3:10 will mean “the evil will be separated from the righteous.” Matt l3:49, but also the creation will be set free. “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God." Romans 8:21.

“The creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope. " Romans 8:20. This was the judgement of God on the natural order following Adam’s disobedience. When man went wrong, God subjected it to futility. “cursed is the ground because of you.” Gen 3:l7

But this subjection of creation to futility or frustration will not last for ever - “God subjected it in hope” Rom. 8:20 “in hope” -

hope of one day being “set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God." Rom 8:21

Although creation is now out of joint, so to speak, in the end however, it will be “liberated into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Rom 8:21.

And so, man and nature are intimately connected. What affects one affects the other, and nature is waiting expectantly for something to happen to man. “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." Rom 8:19

When we are completely put right, nature will be completely put right; when Christians are completely saved, the creation will get back on course again and work properly.

Coming back now to the parable with which we began, namely the parable of the weeds and the wheat, Jesus spoke of the devil who sowed the weeds - “the enemy who sowed them (the weeds, the sons of the evil one) is the devil." Mat l3:39

One day the devil will be sent to his doom. The devil’s days are numbered. His doom is decided, and when Jesus comes, he has to leave, and we are told in Revelation 20:10 that finally “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone."

In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord Jesus talks about his coming in response to his disciples asking him “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" Matt 24.3.

This question of the disciples was in response to Jesus saying of the buildings of the temple “Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down,"

Matt. 24:2.

In the rest of chapter 24 we hear Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question, and then in chapter 25 we read his three parables about the need to be ready for his coming.

“When you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates." Matt. 24:33. What things?

All that Jesus has just been teaching the disciples in chapter 24. There are four main signs:-

Disasters in the World

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the sufferings." Mtt 24:7,8

Deserters in the Church

“and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away….and most men’s love will grow cold."

Matt. 24:10,12

Dictator

“So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place……"

And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." Matt: l5,22

And 2 Thess. 2:3,4 “the man of lawlessness is revealed….proclaiming himself to be God."

Darkness in the sky

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened….. and the powers of the heaven will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven…."

Mtt 24:29,30

And then in chapter 25 Jesus goes on to give three parables to his disciples; they are about making sure you are ready for his coming.

The wise and foolish maidens who went to meet the bridegroom. Matt. 25:1-13

Jesus is the bridegroom and ‘was delayed’ v 5. However, only

five of the maidens turned out to be ready, whilst five were unready for him. Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute. Our relationship with the Lord Jesus needs to be our own. “those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Matt 25: 10,11,12

In the second parable, “after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them”. Mtt 25:19

Two were commended and promoted, whilst one was condemned and cast out. What’s the difference?

Two were described by their Master in these terms “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your Master.

Matt. 25:23.

However, the one who “went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money” Matt 25:l8, was described as “you wicked and slothful servant”. v 26 and was “cast into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth” v 30.

And so the Lord wants and is looking for, faithful service from his ‘servants’.

The third parable of Jesus in Matthew 25 spoken also to his disciples, is about Jesus coming to separate “all the nations one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." Matt 25:31,32

To the sheep the King will say, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”. v. 34. But to the goats, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” v 41

Why the difference? “Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.” v. 45 But to the sheep: ' I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” v.40

Those who are ready are those who are caring for the needs of Christ’s “brethren”.

And so the evil will be separated from the righteous, the creation will be set free, and the devil will be sent to his destiny. We have “a blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” Titus 2:l3

And now to conclude,

“The saying is sure: if we endure, we shall also reign with him.” 2 Timothy 2:12

I came across the following:

‘What’s it like to know you will one day wear the crown of England?’ An American news reporter put that question to Prince Charles. Without hesitation, Charles replied, ‘Rough!’

The future king expanded on this by describing the almost unbelievable discipline needed to groom a person for the throne. He had to become fluent in a number of languages, master history, mathematics and the sciences, and become proficient in heraldry, diplomacy and protocol, as well as serve in the military.

Normally we think of a prince as growing up with a silver spoon in his mouth and a kingdom for his playground. But it makes more sense to realise that an heir has to be groomed for the task ahead of him.

We too, are destined to reign - with Christ. Now we are being groomed for the task’

“He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne." Revelation 3:31